Illusory
by The Fifth Antagonist
Summary: You can't keep lying to yourself. The shadows know everything, and they are not about to keep secrets. AU, vignette collection
1. Moonlight

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the affiliated merchandise.

Author's Notes: This will be written one scene per chapter per day (RL day); there will be 365 of these scenes. Time skips will occur, often without warning. That…is all. Please enjoy!

Warnings: alternate universe, previously unmentioned gods and goddesses

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**Illusory**

_adj._ producing, based on, or having the nature of, illusion; deceptive; unreal; illusive

**Moonlight**

He was dreaming again. To be fair, he had a lot of dreams. Some made a certain sort of sense and others were fever dreams, bright and painful. This one, though, he had dreamt many times.

Nico sighed into the starry darkness. A galaxy drifted by him, its million of billion stars twinkling pale golds and bright blues. Starving black-holes roamed the expanse, consuming everything in their paths. It was quiet here. So wonderfully quiet…

He resented it.

Real life was nothing like this. Every where he went, Nico could hear enraged whispers and anguished screams. His cousin, Bianca, despite her own bizarre abilities couldn't hear them. No one he'd every met could…and now he knew why. Hearing them, that was what he had inherited from his godly parent. He was a therapist for people's shadows, apparently.

How was he supposed to do that when he could barely understand himself? He was only nine.

A comet raced passed him and, wishing for a distraction from his thoughts, Nico followed. Galaxies spun lazily, over and over, occasionally crashing into each other. Everything was slow, as if time didn't mean anything…

"Maybe it doesn't."

Nico flinched at the sudden noise and snapped his attention to his left. A woman stood with her back to him, watching a large cluster of stars consume a smaller group.

The pale ghostly woman turned and smiled. "Hello childe. Have you been enjoying my Gift?"

"Your…gift?"

Her smile widened, dark and ever knowing, and she nodded. Long empty shadows twisted over the planes of her face, blurring sharp cheekbones and highlighting moon-yellow eyes. Softly curling ash-white hair framed the woman's spindly body. Something about the woman scared him; a primordial fear clawed up his spine, whispering warnings as it urged him to run. Tensing, Nice readied himself to do just that.

The woman laughed, sudden and sharp.

"Come now, little _amauros_, there is nothing to fear from me." Shadows shifted as she moved to sit, entwining and twisting together into a lavish throne. They continued to shift, while she urged him to move closer, tangling together to form a smaller, but equally lavish, throne. Hesitantly, Nico sat. "Do you know me, childe?" Again, her voice was quiet, eerily so.

"You… You're one of the gods of the underworld."

"I existed long before there was an underworld," she said. "It was from my blood that Sleep and Death were born."

"I– what?" Was this Hades' mother? That didn't make much sense; Bianca's grandmother was Rhea. But, if they weren't somehow related, why would such an old goddess be interested in Nico?

"I am the Night, little _amauros_. I am Nyx."

The goddess smiled lovingly at him. Her cold fingers brushed his fringe from his eyes slowly, than left Nico's hair to trace his cheek. For a long moment, the two stared at each other. A sudden realization struck him. The line of the woman's jaw and the shape of her eyes…

"And you… You are my Heir."

_Mother._

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End Notes: '**Amauros**' means 'shadowy; darkling' in Greek. When Nyx uses it, she means 'darkling.'


	2. Games

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the affiliated merchandise.

Author's Notes: This went into territory I definitely wasn't expecting rather quickly… I'm leery of rating this 'M,' so I'll stick with 'T' until I have a better idea of expected content. On another note, can you spot the Easter egg? Please enjoy!

Warnings: alternate universe, minor dub-con and chan

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**Illusory**

_adj._ producing, based on, or having the nature of, illusion; deceptive; unreal; illusive

**Games**

The _Lotus Hotel and Casino_ was a very odd place.

Nico didn't like it there. The whispers were too loud, and so were the people. Even being around only Bianca gave him a headache. In this place of flashing lights and too sweet food, there was never any peace. There was never any silence. (Sometimes, he thinks he can remember a dark, starry place where it was always quiet. Nico would like to dream of it again, but he can never fall deep enough asleep. It is simply too loud.)

The canopy of voices never failed to make him nauseous, sick with unfocused resentment towards…something. No, someone. He can never really remember who; Nico wishes he could though. There are a lot of things he'd like to say to them.

Over time, he learned to tune out the whispers using the clamor of gaming machines and excited (_real_, Nico reminds himself) voices. The forced emersion usually worked.

That was before Them, though.

When he first noticed Them, the two of them had only been at the Lotus for a week. Bianca wanted to play a ratty, lethal-looking pinball machine called _Throatless_, Nico had followed the girl out of boredom. During her second round, a soft noise started to buzz in his head. Slowly, it grew louder. Eventually he could no longer ignore it.

"Hey," he called to his sister, raising his voice to be heard over the dull roar of the other guests. Nico didn't bother to wait for an acknowledgement. "I'm going to head to the conservatory to get away for a bit. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, sure," was the distracted reply.

"Try not to sound so excited for me."

(Their relationship was depressing. She'd abandon him the first chance she got. Had it always been like this? He didn't know.)

In all honesty, Nico hated the _Lotus_'s greenhouse, but it was the quietest place in the casino other than their rooms. Sickly sweet perfume saturated the moist air, chocking the senses until the world was nothing but haze. Nico blinked rapidly. The dizzy feeling didn't leave, and he stumbled to a stone bench, sinking onto it.

The humming had followed him out. Now, in the open space, he could see its source: odd shadowy, humanoid figures. They stood deathly still, watching, waiting; the closest noticed him staring and crooned lowly. It shifted suddenly. Nico blinked and the shadow stood over him. Hot, sour breath fanned his cheek, forcing him to gag. It crooned again.

Rough fingers twisted themselves in his hair, jerking his head back sharply.

"L-let go." Another hand traced the veins in his throat. Fearful tears welled up in Nico's eyes. "Let go. _Let go!_" The shadow ignored him. For a long while, nothing more happened, the shadow contented itself with tracing the boy's neck and face. Then it paused as though hesitating. A strange humming echoed through his head and he hoped, desperately, that this would be the end of it.

The shadow kissed him.

Nico chocked on the creature's rancid breath. He struck at its head and shoulders, but he had never been very strong, and the shadow didn't seem to notice his struggling. Tears poured down his face in earnest now. In agonizing slowness, it pulled back.

Its hand loosened its grip on his hair and slid down to rest on his arm, seeping passed his shirt till it reached skin. The creature shifted, lowering to its knees to rub its face against his stomach, purring in a low rumble. Another crept forward and nuzzled the back of his neck.

"Why are– why?" he asked. Plants swayed in an artificial breeze, and the conservatory remained silent.

The rest stayed away simply watching, always watching. Over time, Nico learned to get used to Them. (He still wishes they would leave but knows they never will.)


	3. Bath

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the affiliated merchandise.

Author's Notes: I think I'm getting sick…hopeful it won't interfere with the schedule, but if it does, that's why. On a story-related note, I need to think of a name for Nico's shadow stalkers.

Warnings: alternate universe

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**Illusory**

_adj._ producing, based on, or having the nature of, illusion; deceptive; unreal; illusive

**Bath**

_They are coming._

Nico blinked and swiped his hand across the mirror, looking into it at the crooning shadow behind him. The flamboyant white-gold walls forced the creature to have a stark outline, excepting the thin threads of darkness leeching from it. Its eyes, a suggestion of color, stared back.

Slowly, he let his gaze drop to his wet hands. Water rolled over his palms, dripping from his fingers. "Who are they?" he asked in a quiet voice.

It seemed like he was always quiet now-a-days. Where he once had laughed, he smiled; where he had once commented, he watched. The boundless energy he had before was…gone. Like cold honey, time slowly dripped through the hourglass.

(Bianca was worried, he knew. This change in behavior worried him too. It wasn't like Nico _wanted_ to be like this, but it was like he didn't have a choice. One day he was his usual self and the next…)

Shifting suddenly, the shadow leaned over his shoulder, pressing their cheeks together tenderly. They had started this a while ago, these displays of affection. Most of the time, they were fairly innocent. Other times however… His hands clenched, grasping the edge of the skin until his olive knuckles bleached white.

_They are coming._

"You've said that already!" he said, turning to glare into the creature's face. "Tell me. Who are they?" The shadow raised its hand to his face. Burning hot fingers slide across his skin, leaving trails of redden flesh, stopping next to his eyes. "_Why_ are they coming?"

The few natural sources of shade in the room darkened and stretched, flexing their shape like a cat would its spine. Lights flickered. Shadows dripped and splattered over the blubs, slowly dragging the room into darkness.

The world shifted.

Wallpaper peeled in chunks, revealing large cracks and missing sections of the wall beneath it. Flicked over all surfaces were rusty-toned stains, clustered together like oddly shaped galaxies. The water running from the faucet changed into a suspicious red, thick substance. Loud creaking echoed from nowhere. The shadow crooned.

Pain cut through his eyes, tearing out a scream. Nico jerked back into the counter (there would be bruises in the morning), pressed his hands against the jagged pain, and _screamed_. Hot tears poured down his face, dripping to the floor in thin streams.

_They are coming._

Flickers of forgotten events raced through his mind. Regrets, denial, self-hatred…whispering voices confessed to everything. This– this is what he had inherited. The agony of others flooded through him and, overwhelmed, Nico collapsed.

The shadows simply watched.

_(It was selfish of Them, the demands They placed upon Their _amauros_. Selfish and cruel, but perfect… If They allowed him to ignore Them and what They brought, how would Their _amauros_ grow? _Amauros_ could not ignore the true nature of the world. He needed to know it._

_He needed to know the forgotten place in people's hearts, the part they rejected. Such was the role of those with the Blood of Nyx._

_The childish beings calling themselves 'gods' would never understand.)_


	4. Push

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the affiliated merchandise.

Author's Notes: I missed yesterday's update, so this weekend will have three instead of two.

Warnings: alternate universe,

_Bonnie_: Thank you very much for the praise and review! I hope you continue to enjoy reading this!

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**Illusory**

_adj._ producing, based on, or having the nature of, illusion; deceptive; unreal; illusive

**Push**

"_**Shadow people**__ (also known as shadow ghosts, shadow figures, shadow beings, shadow men, or shadow folk) are supernatural shadow-like figures of both modern folklore and paranormal popular culture that believers describe as dark humanoid forms or evasive specters that are seen mostly in peripheral vision. They are commonly regarded as being malicious or evil spirits _(1)." He paused, glancing over at the younger boy then back at the page. "I- this is what's following you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Nico! How can you be so nonchalant about this?" Panic seeped into the boy's voice. "It says these things are _evil_." The dark haired boy looked up at his pale friend, who paced the length of their room.

Most of the dorms at the academy roomed four, but Nico had been assigned a double because no one could stand rooming with him for more than a week. They all complained of nightmares and an odd feeling, like they were being watched by someone who wasn't there. One had even woken up to find himself being chocked by a shadowy figure. Despite this, and other rumors, Miguel agreed to share a dorm with him. _It was a small price,_ he said, _for a better illusion of privacy._

Miguel continued to pace. Finally fed-up with his dorm mate's panicking, he said, "You're over reacting. Besides, it's not like the Shadows are a new occurrence; they've been following me for at least a year now…" That, apparently, wasn't what Miguel wanted to hear. The other boy froze, than spun to face him, his mouth agape in shock.

"A year…? And you didn't tell anyone?"

"I told you, didn't I?"

"That doesn't count!" He sighed. Who was he supposed to tell? Bianca wouldn't have believed him, and there was no way Nico was going to an adult. They all thought he was a crazy delinquent.

Low hissing filled the air. One of the shadows had wrapped itself around him, pillowing its head in his lap, as soon as he'd sat down. Small tremors shook its body and, with a start, Nico realized that it was laughing. In an effort to quell its amusement, the shadow buried its face in his hip.

"What if one of them hurts you? What then?"

At those words, the once docile shadow, growling, propelled itself off the bed and towards Miguel, grabbed his shirt front, and then launched him at the wall. The boy connected with a loud crack. Various nick-knacks that the two had collected tumbled off their shelves. Miguel slide down the wall, leaving a smear of blood. Shoving his shock aside, Nico put himself between the raging shadow and his classmate.

_Filthy hypocrite! Speaking as though he has not harbored thoughts of causing others pain; as though he has not wished to harm _amauros_… Please move, the vermin must be dealt with accordingly._

"No. I- I can't. You can't. I–" He didn't know how to deal with this, nothing like it had ever happened before. Frustration built up in him; Nico's eyes burned. How could he defuse the situation…?

Unnoticed, the shadow stilled. Leaning forwards, with its head tilled, the shadow stared into the boy's eyes. Delighted with what it found, the shadow pulled him into a warm hug, purring happily. Maybe it was just his imagination, but something about the creature seemed more distinct.

Nico's eyes glowed moon-yellow.

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Notes:

[1] The spiel about shadow people in the beginning is taken directly from Wikipedia with the exception of one word.


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